Then Jesus six days
before the Passover came into Bethany, where Lazarus was, who Jesus raised out
of the dead.

ἦλθεν: AAI 3s, ἔρχομαι,
1) to come

ἤγειρεν: AAI 3s, ἐγείρω,
1) to arouse, cause to rise 1a) to arouse from sleep, to awake 1b)
to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life

1. It is six days before the
Passover festival. To look ahead a bit, the next day (12:12) a great crowd will
welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, where he is going for the festival. John’s
narrative will then jump to a less precise “before the festival ...” in 13:1.

2. The raising of Lazarus is a
key story in the Gospel of John and strongly connected to the death of Jesus,
as well as perhaps a foretaste of the resurrection story. It is not mentioned
in the synoptic gospels, which says a lot about the diversity of how the story
of Jesus was told during the writing and formation of the New Testament.

1. John uses οὖν as
connective tissue between vv.1,2, and 3. οὖν could be translated “therefore,”
but it seems to be more neutral, like “then” in these verses. Except here,
perhaps, where it might be “So they gave him a dinner ...” This could be an
honoring banquet for Jesus.

2. I just can’t glide over the
fact that Martha was serving and Lazarus was dining (and Mary is worshipping). I
don’t know what to do with that observation and it remains common enough that
women often take to the kitchen more than men. It just stings a bit to see it
so starkly, serving/dining.

3. Naming Lazarus as one of
those who is reclining at the table with Jesus may be John’s way of declaring
Lazarus to be among the apostles.

Then Mary having taken
a pound of nard ointment very expensive anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped with
her hair his feet; and the house was filed out of the fragrance of the ointment.

λαβοῦσα: AAPart
nsf, λαμβάνω, 1) to take

ἤλειψεν: AAI 3s, ἀλείφω,
1) to anoint

ἐξέμαξεν: AAI 3s,
ἐκμάσσω, 1) to wipe off, to wipe away

ἐπληρώθη: API 3s,
πληρόω, 1) to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full

1. Now, after hearing that
Martha is serving and Lazarus is dining, we hear that Mary is anointing Jesus’
feet. My sense is that this story and the story of Mary and Martha in Lk.10
might have started as the same story originally, then took differing paths.

2. This verse it a bit difficult
to translate because of words that are unfamiliar to me. The adjectives that
John uses to describe the nard ointment are πιστικῆς and πολυτίμου. πιστικῆς has
the root πιστις, which means “faith.” Under other circumstances πιστικῆς would
mean “trusty” or “faithful.” Here, it seems to imply purity and, I suspect,
especially with regard to the strength of the fragrance. πολυτίμου means “costly,”
as in the “pearl of great price.” These are lovely terms that show the intensity
of this outpouring from Mary.

3. The house is filled, it is full,
it is brimming with the fragrance of this act of ... embalming. There is some
great literary paradox going on here.

1. The particple μέλλων could
indicate that something is getting ready to happen soon, but my sense is that
Judas’ intent is behind the participial phrase, so I am bringing out the
intentionality rather than just the temporality that Judas is going to betray
Jesus. If y’all were southern, we’d say he’s “fixin’” to betray.

2. The verb παραδίδωμι can be
translated “betray,” but I am keeping its more literal sense here to show that
the root, δίδωμι, is the same word that Judas will use in his question in v.5.

“Why wasn’t this ointment
sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”

ἐπράθη: API 3s, πιπράσκω,
1) to sell

ἐδόθη: API 3s, δίδωμι,
1) to give 2) to give something to someone

1. Such an unctuous declaration
from Judas! He is setting up a contrast between extravagant worship and acts of
charity. Judas is the one setting up that contrast. If someone wants to make
this pericope a story about the contrast between extravagant worship and
charity to the poor, one should remember that it is Judas who names the
situation this way.

βαλλόμενα: PPPart
apn, βάλλω, 1) to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls

ἐβάσταζεν: IAI
3s, βαστάζω, 1) to take up with the hands

1. The evolving story of Judas
has developed to the point that he was a thief, in addition to being the
betrayer. Paul never mentions Judas, some people read the Synoptic portrayal
somewhat sympathetically, but John is absolute that Judas is not honorable. So,
the contrast between extravagant worship and charity to the poor is not a
genuine contrast from the start. It is a contrast between Mary’s act of
extravagance and Judas’ pretension of caring for the poor.

2. The word for “treasury box,” γλωσσόκομον,
has the root ‘tongue’ or γλωσσω in it because it originally meant the storage
box for a mouthpiece. The word for “offerings,” βαλλόμενα, literally means “things
that are thrown,” indicating that offerings were tossed or dropped into
receptacles.

Then Jesus said, “Permit
her, in order that into the day of my embalming she has kept it for me;

εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω,
1) to say, to speak

Ἄφες: AAImpv 2s, ἀφίημι,
1) to send away 1a1) of a husband divorcing his wife 1c) to let go,
let alone, let be 1c3) to omit, neglect 1d) to let go, give up a
debt, forgive, to remit 1) to give up, keep no longer 2) to permit,
allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person

τηρήσῃ: AASubj
3s, τηρέω, 1) to attend to carefully, take care of

1. The
phrase order is a bit awkward, but it has several ‘intention’ words - ἵνα, which
means ‘in order that,’ and the subjunctive use of τηρέω, to show purpose.

2. The
contrast here is between Mary’s intention to honor Jesus’ death and Judas’
intention, which is not caring about the poor but dipping into the money.

For the poor always
you have with you, but me you do not always have.”

ἔχετε: PAI 2p, ἔχω,
1) to have, i.e. to hold

ἔχετε: PAI 2p, ἔχω,
1) to have, i.e. to hold

1. Anyone who quotes this verse
to dissuade giving to the poor should be slapped. There, I said it.

2. Mary’s act of devotion is
such an ‘in the moment’ act of utter devotion. Judas’ concern for the poor is a
piece of his ongoing dishonesty and a ruse. The real contrast here is between utter
devotion and cynical deception.

3. This verse is an echo of
Deuteronomy 15:7-11 (see below), which is a warning to the people of Israel
before they enter into the Promised Land. God first says that the land will be
abundant enough that there should be no one poor or needy among them. But,
alas, there are. And poverty amid abundance is a mark of shame on those who are
not sharing.

We get a little glimpse of John’s
Christology vis-à-vis Jesus’ own Jewish practices in c.12. Because of the
enormous popularity of Lazarus’ resuscitation, a crowd gathers in Bethany to
see Jesus and Lazarus and the chief priests begin to ploy Jesus’ and Lazarus’
deaths (12:10). The reason, John says, is “since it was on account of him
[Lazarus] that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.”
(12:11). I find the word “deserting” to be very curious. Deserting what? Jesus
is going to the Passover festival, so obviously he is acting as a practicing
Jew. It seems to me that the followers are not deserting Judaism for some new
religion; they are deserting the chief priests for a new rabbi. The Gospel of
John is often said to be very anti-Semitic, partly because of the phrase “the
Jews” that seems to indict the whole people. I think passages like 12:9-12 show
that it is not Judaism that John is critiquing, but the leadership.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 “If
there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your
towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be
hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards your needy neighbour. You should
rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it
may be. Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking,
‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near’, and therefore view your
needy neighbour with hostility and give nothing; your neighbour might cry to
the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally
and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your
God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since
there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command
you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbour in your land.’”

2 comments:

Captivated by the Deut reference. Because I've always hated the line about always having the poor. Especially in light of the fact that Jesus says to serve the least of these and we are serving Jesus. So clearly, he supports the poor. So his line MUST be against those who do not give extravagantly.

Deuteronomy is one of the greatest books (and most misused books) in the Bible, isn't it? I think the line (John 12:8) about always having the poor (which I've always disliked, too) in contents means we should sincerely want to help the poor--in the same way Mary sincerely wanted to honor Jesus--extravagantly--and not in the hypocritical way Judas showed.

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This blog is a weekly translation of a text from the Revised Common Lectionary.It is my rough translation in bold with some initial comments in blue, all of which are subject to change as we journey together. That's why I welcome your comments.